So what are your picks for Spring?
There are fewer shows that really catch my attention. It's certainly a season of the abnormal: VR, zombies, ghosts, Lovecraft mythos - and my personal WTF Japan?! moment - moe assault rifles. Here are my plans for now (and edits).
Definitely:
Accel World - I wonder what kind of ulterior motives Snow Black has in mind? Looks good though. Ep 2 was good. Still promising.
Of course I need to finish the last Mirai Nikki ep. I didn't mention it before since it was virtually done.
Mouretsu Pirates - continuing the slow buildup from last season, I'm still liking it. It looks like we're finally going to see the yacht club on the Bentenmaru like the OP has been foreshadowing all this time.
Sankarea - while it's another on the zombie bandwagon, it looks shiny and original otherwise. But really - a zombie girlfriend fetish? :o Episode 2 gives a much darker tone to the story as well. I like it.
Tasogare Otome x Amnesia - nice art, interesting story, and I'm liking the humor of the one ditz who is oblivious to the ghost.
Finally I've got The Big Bang Theory and Game of Thrones on the non-anime front.
Probably:
Acchi Kochi - I hadn't planning on following it, but I'll give it a couple eps after the RandomC (http://randomc.net/2012/04/07/acchi-kocchi-01/) review. *watches ep.1*Cute so far and the nekomimi are used very well. *watches ep.2* Too cute and funny ... brain asplody! *moves from maybe to probably*
Kimi no Boku s2 - I liked the first season, a calmer (if more boring) Nichibros.
Haiyoru! Nyaruko-san - the flash shorts from last year were disappointing to me, but the anime is much more promising: A little Lovecraft, a goodly helping of fanservice, lots of humor along with some insanity.
Nazo no Kanojo X - A rather strange and kinky premise of being addicted to a girl's saliva. But the pacing is excellent and this is a great first role for Urabe's seiyuu. Also, they're dating in the first episode? No multi-episode indecision?! Nice! And I thought Ano Natsu moved fast.
Uchuu Kyoudai - With at least a year-long run it looks like this will take it's time. Reminiscent of Planetes and Moonlight Mile - favorites of mine - but I'm not a big fan of the animation and character designs so far.
Might follow, might drop:
Hyouka - I'm waiting to see what the first episodes bring.
Jormugand - very serious (and pretty action packed) anime. The intro & OP gave me a little deja vu for Black Lagoon. I'm undecided but leaning toward following it.
Lupin III/Fujiko Mine - the 70s character designs and music in the first ep put me off some. I don't know - I was never a big Lupin fan.
Medaka Box - I'll give it another episode or two but it might be an early drop.
Sengoku Collection - a good deal of cliche here, but the story shows some promise for humor.
Marathon Later: Eureka Seven Ao, Fate Zero s2 and Kore wa Zombie s2 - low priority for me. I'll get to them eventually.
Not for me:
I never got past ~3 eps of Area no Kishi and changed the perma-stall to dropped. Next, about a year each of Beelzebub & Sket Dance was enough for me. Last season they were "watch and delete"s. This season dropped. Finally, I broke my pack-rat habit and wrote off any chance I'd ever continue Bleach. I think I'd finished 40 or 50 eps years ago? That freed up 60+ gigs.
Phi Brain s2 - I dropped the first season after just a few eps.
Queen's Blade: Rebellion - boobs are great and all [HSDxD ;)], but I was never able to make it through more than a couple eps of the QB franchise.
Upotte! - I hoped there might be more comedy but it just left me with a creepy feeling after the first ep: Moe middle school girls who are really assault rifles having near orgasms/uncontrolled bursts of fire when visualizing the new teacher holding them.
Based on the first or second episodes, it's looking like a promising season.
Favorites:
Bokura wa Minna Kawaisou - it's a refreshing change having a two person romance again rather than the now-usual polygon. The colors and character designs take me back a decade or two in a nice way, while retaining today's animation quality. The side characters are the funny sort of annoying, in a setting reminiscent of Sakurasou Pet no Kanojo with a larger age gap from H.S. to office workers.
Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - I've been enjoying the light novels for a while now, and I think they're doing a great job in this anime adaptation. The intro "Mahouka for Dummies" shorts helped clear some infodumps from the main series, but there's a lot of characters to introduce and a lot of world to build here. Good series in my eyes.
Mekaku City Actors - fascinating! Introduces the hikkikomori guy with the cute but obnoxious AI assistant Ena [Asumi Kana sounding much like her Nyaruko the Crawling Chaos role]. A soda-induced keyboard failure forces him to go outside for the first time in two years. Then watch the improbable shit go down. Great visuals, backgrounds reminiscent of Bakemonogatari and perhaps some similar humor. A story that has me laughing and intrigued. Quickly became a favorite after the first ep.
Mushishi Zoku Shou - so glad to have this show back after nearly a decade. The look, feel and sound are just like the original. It's not a show for those that need lots of action, but the slow and thoughtful atmosphere is like almost nothing else today.
Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin - I'm hopeful for this one, I love the Indiana Jones-type opening, and it is building up well. I can't wait to see more of this.
Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii - an arranged marriage with the Sun king will provide the tiny Rain dukedom with limited autonomy from the world-spanning empire. Nike, the kick-ass rain-calling princess gets Jan-Ken-Pwned by her elegant older sisters and has to be the bride. Intelligent plot, good visuals, interesting characters with depth to them. Looking great to me.
Will watch:
Captain Earth - the Mecha genre usually isn't for me, but this one finally has a decent excuse for a combining mech (orbital delta-v), and the character building is strong so far. No Shinjis here. :P
Gokukoku no Brynhildr - I laughed at "sitting at a times table." The story is original and intriguing with a more believable-than-most "magic" tech.
Inugami-san to Nekoyama-san - silly three minute shorts that remind me of Super Seisyun Brothers with a cat/dog lovers (and yuri) twist.
Isshuukan Friends - cute designs, pastel visuals, warm and fuzzy little story. The weekly amnesia is unlikely to the extreme, but the story built around it is interesting and believable once you get past that one barrier.
Kanojo ga Flag wo Oraretara - goofy and fun, non-serious entertainment playing well with cliches.
Soul Eater Not - a well conceived spin-off, lots of cameos, but with it's own feel and story separate from the heavier main series.
Give them three episodes?
Baby Steps - I heard much about the manga being so awesome, so I'll give it a shot despite it's tennis focus and my distaste for most sports anime.
Black Bullet - not expecting much, it was on the drop edge for me before the first ep. Hard to suspend my disbelief.
Hitsugi no Chaika - Chaika's stilted speech pattern is annoying. The fantasy setting is generic, but the magic/tech is interesting. The fast-moving plot succeeded in getting me curious about the backstory. Maybe.
No Game No Life - hikkikomoris transported to a game-type world, but unlike other shows, they don't want to go back. A smooth first ep with potential.
Seikoku no Dragonar - near the edge of dropping. The manga didn't hold my interest either.
Sidonia no Kishi - full-CGI animation like Arpeggio of Blue Steel. Intriguing and gritty space/SF setting. Worth a look.
Dropped already:
Akuma no Riddle - assassin classroom survival game with a yuri tint. Didn't make the cut for me.
Blade and Soul - meh. IRL MMORPG anime tie-in. Krozam is right - "cheap and soulless." Like ... Queen's Blade without (much) fan-service or any humor?
Escha & Logy no Atelier - the setting reminds me of Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita. Cute romantic buildup but unbelievable (for me) alchemy. Not bad, just below my drop line.
Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka - cute girls doing cute things. Reminds me a little of Yuru Yuri in a small European town. Neither are my type of show.
Kenzen Robo Daimedaler - ugly mechas, annoying MC, tedious heavily ecchi humor and bad art. Dropped like a rock.
Mangaka-san to Assistant-san to - similar ecchi humor as Daimedaler, good art and character design, but mangaka rather than mech driver. Might work for people liking shows focused on ecchi humor. For me, no.
Eagerly Awaiting: Hanamonogatari/"Monogatari series S2 +a" - May 31
Continuations:
Date a Live II - I didn't save S1, it will be a watch and delete show for when bored. Still amusing though.
Nisekoi - this show in a word would be "tease" but I'm still enjoying it and laughing.
Tonari no Seki-kun - happily, I think there's another 6 of these hilarious 7-min shorts still coming.
Yowamushi Pedal - I'll probably delete it once it's done, but it's a rare sports-based anime I don't mind watching once. I think it's hilarious how Onoda is slowly drawing Imaizumi into his favorite magical girl anime. They even saw the anime movie together last ep.
Finally, live action: Big Bang Theory, Game of Thrones, Orphan Black